Schaefft's Bargain Barge Extravaganza - Fleet Update

[Schaefft]

2 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

Sorry I have no idea what any of those numbers mean but in my experience you really need the MB star/xentry.

I have the kit here with a C3 multiplexer which should be able to read everything on the car, if you ever happen to be heading this way (near Halifax, between Leeds and Manchester) or thinking about it they do sometimes (fairly rarely) make me go to Darlington for work so could maybe organise something.

That would be helpful. This piece of kit should go into enough depth to find the source of the problem though, it actually was recommended by someone in the group. However I am not sure how deep the data logging goes compared to the Star diagnostics.

[Spottedlaurel]

30 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

Was the LS400 on the right yours at some point?

It was, as purchased from a banger racer back in 2014 with clear indicators and 18" GS300 Sport alloys:

And enjoyed doing things like this:

 

[loserone]

Was a good car* that, I swapped it for a mandolin.

 

@task had a bumper for it in his garden for years he very kindly collected for me when I had hopes of getting it back on the road.

 

*When it wasn't randomly spinning, or turning all the electrics off including the lights

[Schaefft]

I was considering buying it for a moment since it seems to have fairly little miles and prices went up, realistically I have plenty of projects already though! It does need some bushes now which might be one of the main reasons it's still there.

[Schaefft]

As mentioned in the for sale thread, the green E38 728i has sold today, the buyer flew in with his wife from Northern Ireland to drive the car back via Scotland. I was able to get about what I had into it and he seemed like the type of person who can appreciate an old car for what it is, so that was a nice bonus. I'm hoping that they will continue to give it the tlc it deserves, its certainly come a long way since I picked it up in London earlier this year.

In other news, there has been a new purchase! If you were wondering who bought @chrisjvm's silverLexus GS300 the other day...

He kindly delivered it during my lunchbreak today as we happen to live so close. I've been interested in this generation GS for years, the first GS450h hybrid was always an interesting car to me as it combined a powerful V6 with a battery pack to deliver very impressive performance. Unfortunately they all suffer from battery pack issues unless Lexus replaced it at some point. Even without the hybrid drivetrain this early GS300 feels quick, and the level of kit is highly impressive for 2005 including cooled seats and a rear backup camera for the PDC. Everything aside from the tire pressure monitor seems to work as well, very impressed!

The boot access is hilarious however. Ignore the popped fuel door.

At least there is a pass through:

Don't have space for all your buttons on the dash? Have another flip out dash!

Cool cluster illumination as well, it looks great in person.

The Satnav however feels ancient, I'll have to see how I can get it updated.

Also has a phone mount. This must be the 5th car I currently own that could (or does) have a phone installed.

The GS also happens to be the newest car I own. How can I tell without even having to look at the numbers?

Ok then!

I made a quick list of things I want to sort out, a new driver side mirror being one of them. I think it really is mostly cosmetics but only a closer look underneath all of these plastic covers will reveal more. So far so good though, thanks again for making the deal Chris! 10/10, would buy from again.

[AnnoyingPentium]

On 9/18/2022 at 9:21 PM, Schaefft said:

I just had to check the CD changer magazine and once again it didn't disappoint. Things like these always give you a pretty good idea of who might have owned the car before, and it seems to be a pretty similar story to the S8 in this case...

Didn't know I'd owned a Merc!

[Schaefft]

Still struggling with the SL. The throttle body is still open the moment I turn the key to on. Bought a replacement throttle body, still the same. Even when the throttle pedal sensor is unplugged I get the same result. The kickdown switch inside is not depressed either, neither the position sensor nor the switch put out any reading on my scanner when pushed though. Not sure if that's normal when the engine isn't running but I somehow doubt it.

[Schaefft]

More diagnosing on the SL today. I tested the fuel pressure to rule out leaky injectors (unlikely as both cats get glowing hot at the same time, despite being two different banks) and compression in case the timing is off due to a stretched chain (unlikely as cranking the engine over results in a perfectly even crank).

Everything checked out well, with even compression on all 6 cylinders and no obvious drop in fuel pressure. Since the replacement throttle body was still acting up even with the throttle position sensor unplugged there wasn't much left that could cause this behavior aside from the ECU and the wiring from the ECU to the throttle body.

Lo and behold:

Looks like a resistor literally blew up, probably when someone attempted to jump start the car. I'll send the ECU off to a repair service tomorrow, hopefully this will resolve my running issues once and for all and I can move on to other things the car will need. The car currently blocks my drive so fingers crossed!

In more news, the Corona is now with the bodyshop to have its sills properly sorted. They've only been patched up poorly in the past to pass an MOT, I've asked them to do things properly so hopefully there aren't any bad suprises and they do a good job. I have a long list of other bodywork/paint related things to sort, should they be the right place to handle them.

[Schaefft]

1.5 weeks later and I got my replacement ECU. Threw it in the car, and nothing has changed. It's still having the same odd behavior of the throttle body staying wide open the moment the key is on, despite a new throttle body and now new ECU. Goes into limp mode straight away and only throwing a current idle speed control error.

I think I'm pretty close to admitting defeat. I might ask my local Mercedes specialist what he thinks about it but I've pretty much ran out of ideas. I don't really wanna get into checking single wires and I'd be surprised if it was a grounds problem. Very demotivating!

[mk2_craig]

Certainly sounds like there’s a short circuit of some sort somewhere. Have you tried pulling/inspecting and cleaning the various related connectors?

[Zelandeth]

Hmm...yeah starts to point more towards a wiring issue at this point.  Have to wonder if either that fried the ECU or the ECU failing fried something wiring wise.  Difficult to diagnose further as you say without getting a meter and schematic out and ohming out each conductor in the loom.

[Schaefft]

8 hours ago, mk2_craig said:

Certainly sounds like there’s a short circuit of some sort somewhere. Have you tried pulling/inspecting and cleaning the various related connectors?

The connectors all seems to be fine, there's no indication for corrosion either. Would have been great to find something there.

7 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Hmm...yeah starts to point more towards a wiring issue at this point.  Have to wonder if either that fried the ECU or the ECU failing fried something wiring wise.  Difficult to diagnose further as you say without getting a meter and schematic out and ohming out each conductor in the loom.

Unfortunately, which is something I am not really interested in doing (neither do I want to pay someone spending hours finding out what it might be as it won't be worth it). I checked the wiring a few times now, there is nothing indicating from the outside that there are issues and these wiring looms are not know to fail unlike in earlier cars.

I might buy a replacement base module (which also serves as over voltage protection, although all the fuses are fine) as it could cause certain faults as well (although I doubt it would make the throttlebody act a certain way), most of the stuff I bought so far should be easy to sell for the money I got them for. I'll also pop over to the local Merc specialist to see if they have any advise. Beyond that there's not much more I can do unfortunately. I'm very close to dumping it on FB marketplace...

[Barry Cade]

My SLK did this with the BCM, caused by the fan inside the fusebox seizing, which shorted the BCM and I lost roof, windows,locks and alarm. What did the ECU repair company say and what did the circuit that blew control?

Unplug Everything  the ECU controls and see how it affects the throttle. Then plug things in 1 by 1. If there is more than 1 plug into the ECU, start here..

 

[Schaefft]

24 minutes ago, Barry Cade said:

My SLK did this with the BCM, caused by the fan inside the fusebox seizing, which shorted the BCM and I lost roof, windows,locks and alarm. What did the ECU repair company say and what did the circuit that blew control?

Unplug Everything  the ECU controls and see how it affects the throttle. Then plug things in 1 by 1. If there is more than 1 plug into the ECU, start here..

 

The ECU company only cloned the ECU, transferring any relevant data over to an identical replacement module. Would have loved to find out what circuit on it actually blew, it definitely didn't look as bad as yours! Also apparently it wasn't important enough to really make a difference considering it acted exactly the same way the new one does now (which baffles my mind more than anything else).

Regarding unplugging, there are 7 or so plugs going into the ECU. Maybe I should consider getting some pin outs. I worry that unplugging each might end up confusing the ECU entirely 😂

[Schaefft]

Had a chat with the local oldschool Merc specialist: He's never seen the problem before and cannot really say anything until he's plugging it into his Xentry (Mercedes) diagnostics tool. Which happens only in a months time at the earliest. I want the car running or gone long before that.

So I've gone over everything once again today. All the wiring from the ECU to the throttle body checkes out, no breaks, damage or anything after checking things with the Ohm meter. Same for the throttle position sensor, nothing unusual. I can measure voltages on either connector and I dont know which wire is supposed to supply voltage when, however there is no obvious physical damage so those can be ruled out.

Unplugged everything remotely related to the throttle (ESP, relays, ABS even, as well as plugged in my original throttle body), always the same result unless I unplug the ECU to throttlebody connectors (no surprise) or the base module that supplies the ECU with power. I'll replace the latter tomorrow. Normally its an all or nothing deal with that one but maybe Im lucky and it only partially supplies the ECU with juice, causing it to go haywire. It does feel like there is a relay stuck on that tells the ECU to go full throttle all the time. That relay doesn't exist but might be part of the base module.

The only other thing left that could cause the ECU to send a signal to the throttle body: The replacement ECU itself. Maybe the software (which was just copied over from my original damaged unit) is simply wrong or incomplete as my original ECU was damaged. I can only call the guys who cloned it tomorrow to see if they have any advise, I really do not know what else I can do now. These cars aren't massively complex, there is only a very limited number of components that have an effect on the throttle body. Its just odd that they happen to act in a way that nobody else apparently has ever seen before.

[Schaefft]

Replacement base module made no difference either. I guess thats the end of it, creating the an ad for it on FB marketplace tonight.

[cort1977]

19 hours ago, Schaefft said:

Replacement base module made no difference either. I guess thats the end of it, creating the an ad for it on FB marketplace tonight.

It's a shame but considering how many excellent fixes you make on all your other cars I wouldn't be too sad.  Onwards and upwards!

[LightBulbFun]

19 hours ago, Schaefft said:

Replacement base module made no difference either. I guess thats the end of it, creating the an ad for it on FB marketplace tonight.

I am wondering! are you able to open up the replacement/new ECU and check if it too has or has not suddenly blow up the same resistor thats failed in the other?

if it has, that might give you some clues as to that the issue is with some certain part of the loom or such, rather then an ECU issue itself or such

[Schaefft]

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

I am wondering! are you able to open up the replacement/new ECU and check if it too has or has not suddenly blow up the same resistor thats failed in the other?

if it has, that might give you some clues as to that the issue is with some certain part of the loom or such, rather then an ECU issue itself or such

I actually did (iirc) and it was fine. The issue is that even if it sustained the same issue I still wouldn't be the wiser. I don't think the ECU itself is the problem, there must be something interfering with the ECU or communication between ECU and throttle body, It's just that I got no clue what it might be. 

Its probably worth posting here as well, the only odd thing I see with the wiring are these odd connectors that seem to have been there for a very long time, so probably original. Wires leading in and out of them are all consistent in their color, just seems to be a Mercedes thing of splitting a single wire into 2 or 3. I'd probably break more than fix trying to pull them apart. None of them are in the color of the throttle body either. There's also an ultrasonic based alarm installed inside the car that was available from the factory. There is no indication that this actually causes any trouble however, theres no blinking, the car obviously starts and the throttle body would be an odd thing to mess around with.

[Jerzy Woking]

On 10/24/2022 at 8:38 PM, Schaefft said:

As mentioned in the for sale thread, the green E38 728i has sold today, the buyer flew in with his wife from Northern Ireland to drive the car back via Scotland. I was able to get about what I had into it and he seemed like the type of person who can appreciate an old car for what it is, so that was a nice bonus. I'm hoping that they will continue to give it the tlc it deserves, its certainly come a long way since I picked it up in London earlier this year.

In other news, there has been a new purchase! If you were wondering who bought @chrisjvm's silverLexus GS300 the other day...

He kindly delivered it during my lunchbreak today as we happen to live so close. I've been interested in this generation GS for years, the first GS450h hybrid was always an interesting car to me as it combined a powerful V6 with a battery pack to deliver very impressive performance. Unfortunately they all suffer from battery pack issues unless Lexus replaced it at some point. Even without the hybrid drivetrain this early GS300 feels quick, and the level of kit is highly impressive for 2005 including cooled seats and a rear backup camera for the PDC. Everything aside from the tire pressure monitor seems to work as well, very impressed!

The boot access is hilarious however. Ignore the popped fuel door.

At least there is a pass through:

Don't have space for all your buttons on the dash? Have another flip out dash!

Cool cluster illumination as well, it looks great in person.

The Satnav however feels ancient, I'll have to see how I can get it updated.

Also has a phone mount. This must be the 5th car I currently own that could (or does) have a phone installed.

The GS also happens to be the newest car I own. How can I tell without even having to look at the numbers?

Ok then!

I made a quick list of things I want to sort out, a new driver side mirror being one of them. I think it really is mostly cosmetics but only a closer look underneath all of these plastic covers will reveal more. So far so good though, thanks again for making the deal Chris! 10/10, would buy from again.

It is a great car-I only owned it for a few days until Chris could get over here to pick it up.

I liked it a lot, more than the LS400 I had, as it seemed much more involving to drive, and was a nicer place to sit. Not that I drove it other than the test drive, what with laws here about driving foreign registered cars.

 

[Schaefft]

9 hours ago, Jerzy Woking said:

It is a great car-I only owned it for a few days until Chris could get over here to pick it up.

I liked it a lot, more than the LS400 I had, as it seemed much more involving to drive, and was a nicer place to sit. Not that I drove it other than the test drive, what with laws here about driving foreign registered cars.

 

It certainly is a great car with some impressive tech, makes it feel much newer than the manufacturing date would suggest! I need to figure out what's up with the Christmas tree lights on the dash though, I read the codes with my Mercedes scanner and only got codes for both rear O2s so I'll need to see what's going on underneath. I've already spend a few quid on a few interior bits to replace all the worn stuff, and it will receive a set of rotors and pads for the front if it's all clear, as those are completely shot at this point. Hopefully the SL sells soon so I got the space on the drive to give the Lexus some attention, so far so good though!

[Schaefft]

Well, the SL has just sold, the second person who viewed the car bought it and will try to get it running properly. Apparently he has access to a Merc specialist which will no doubt make diagnosing the electrical problem its got much easier. I managed to recover what I had into it so Im happy with how things have turned out, although I would have loved to find the fault myself. Its getting collected tomorrow, which means I will finally have my driveway back and can actually get in touch with the A8/S8 specialist who was supposed to have a look at the D2 by now. That one was blocked in by the SL...

In other news the Toyota Corona has returned from the bodyshop. I asked them to concentrate on MOT relevant repairs (back of the sills which were only quickly patched before) which they have now repaired properly. Im still waiting for some photos of the work and apparently there will be a video about it on their youtube channel the bodywork person tries to establish. If its all looking good I will probably book in the E39 next which needs jacking points all around...

On the Lexus front all error lights (aside from the TPMS system) have disappeared when I filled up the tank the other day. I've got the feeling that the codes for the rear O2 sensors might have gotten misdiagnosed somehow and the real issue is the tank pressure system (or fuel cap). Gotta keep an eye on that. The tint needs to go as well, impossible to see out of it at night.

Other than that its been a great car so far. Its feels modern, fast, solid and comfortable, quiet and probably gets some of the best fuel economy number out of all my cars:

Granted, these are UK mpg which are higher than anything I see in my other cars, and this was mostly motorway.

I'll see if I can have a proper look underneath it this Saturday, if everything checks out it'll get a proper service and new brakes for the front once Im back from the Christmas holidays. I'll probably also replace the driver side headlight, its building up condensation inside rapidly now, the HID bulb just went out and even if mine is salvagable I can still sell it for at least as much as I'll pay for the replacement. It'll also be a good opportunity to polish the yellow haze out of them. The car will also get an interior clean, looking forward to finally making some progress!

[Schaefft]

Finally had some time to have a closer look at the Lexus. Everything looks remarkably good for what is essentially a 17 year old car after all. I bought my E39 when it was the same age back in 2014 and the contrast couldn't be more stark😂 There are no apparent leaks underneath, neither are there in the engine bay. The exhaust is corroded (which seems to be a bit of a weakspot of these) and is missing a clamp, aside from that there is nothing that would require urgent attention, incredible considering how much the car cost.

I swapped the headlight bulbs to rule out a damaged ballast, unfortunately thats what it seems to be, likely caused by the condensation inside the headlight dripping on it. I've already bought a replacement headlight a few days ago which comes complete with the ballast so hopefully this can get sorted relatively easily, I know that the bumper needs to come off in any case. I have a trip to Birmingham coming up next week, fortunately its mostly motorway miles so the missing lowbeam on one side isn't going to cause too much trouble...

I also replaced some of the damaged trim pieces inside, I more or less got them for free so why not. Particularly these lower B-pillar trims often seem to suffer from people getting inside and out of the car.

The a-pillar and sunvisor were damaged from hot cigarettes, the replacements are perfect.

I've also replaced the worn start/stop button. Turns out you have to take half the dash apart to be able to reach it from behind... I used the chance to sort out the jammed cupholder lid, a lighter stuck behind it prevented it from opening all the way.

As a nice little bonus, I bought the button from a GS450h breaker so it now says POWER instead😂

I gave the interior a general clean as well. A proper vacuum alone can already make a big difference and with everything covered in a layer of grime before the car really benefitted from it. The black interior shows every mark however, and with a previous owner who must have carried a dog around in the back seat it takes a little more than a clean to make it look decent. Still have to do the floor mats so before and afters later. The stuff I did find during the clean gives a pretty good picture of the previous owner though:

Another golfer who spent a lot of his time in Spain. Im surprised the car only has 116k miles considering the what must have been frequent trips to the South.

In case you are wondering what the 3.0l V6 looks like underneath all these plastic covers. There is some oil residue close to the filler cap I cleaned off, I'll keep an eye on it to see if its actually coming from the valve cover gasket. Other than that there are zero leaks, aside from the dust it really looks like an engine with half the miles on it. All the fluids look great as well.

Replaced all the missing clips and gave them a quick clean. Have to get a replacement hood spacer, not sure what happened to that. Im also missing the bolts holding the air filter box in place.

Next job is getting the headlight replaced and using the chance to polish both of the lenses to get rid of the yellow haze. I'll order new discs and pads over the Chrismas holidays as well, after that it should be a well sorted modern luxury sports sedan for tired Corsa money. I still wanna replace the broken mirror housing and steering wheel (replacing it with an OEM leather/wood one), Im just waiting to find them for reasonable money.

Oh, and naturally the trinket purchase spree has already begun. Im going to get the correct Nokia for the dealer installed mobile phone mount as well as I did with my S8 previously already.

Stay tuned...

[Schaefft]

ABSOLUTE TRANSFORMATION

Anyway, the Lexus performed flawlessly on the 400 mile roundtrip to Birmingham. I think the longer trips probably have helped with the check engine light as well as it's been off for the whole journey. As mentioned, front brakes are first on the list, I also need to check what the state the tire pressure sensors are in (or if they are still there at all) as that light needs to go.

[Schaefft]

Its certainly getting winter now so the A6 will take over as practical winter beater again tomorrow. However, I wanted to sort out the failing headlight on the GS300 before its getting parked up.

I bought this replacement for a little over 100 quid complete with bulbs and ballast. The driver side ballast on mine is possibly on its way out and the housing definitely held a surprising amount of water as I found out later, so Im glad I went that route. Now was also the time to polish the yellow haze out of either side and while the photos don't show how bad the old ones really were the difference is still massive.

Many GS headlights suffer from these micro cracks it seems, something that obviously wont come out with a polish:

After the polish and sealing them with ceramic coating:

Fortunately the bumper came off extremely easily. It seems like everything on this car has been held together by 10mm bolts and decent clips which makes working on it very easy. Its my own replacement clips I installed the other day that made it more of a struggle as none on them came apart as intended. Definitely need to find the right clips for these engine covers now.

Before (actually before the condensation became really bad):

After:

On the cosmetic side its the headlights which were what let the car down the most, they are now clear and hopefully much brighter again, the car looks about a million times better already so great success! Unfortunately I somehow managed to forget to put the foam filler back before installing the bumper...

I'm planning to replace the bumper cover anyway (possibly with a facelift one if its a straight swap) as the current one is a little beat up, that foam piece will go back on then at the latest.

Also, another goodie for the Lexus that arrived recently! Cars with phone holders are always a great excuse to buy older mobile phones. I bought this mint Nokia 6230i (as seen in the brochure at the time) for about 10 quid which will fit the pre-installed phone mount. Just waiting for my sim to arrive now so I can have a play with it!

Thats it for now. Some bonus Corona content, its sorn now as it won't see salty roads ever again. Started right up, too.

Edit: can confirm, light output is much better. Also keep some sand handy when trying to back it out of an icy drive...

[Schaefft]

As mentioned above the A6 Avant is back in action. Put my winter wheels on it today, instantly makes it look like a beater:

I think the Landsail winter tires on the front arent actually much better than the Michelin summer tires I had on it before... Also I noticed a bit late that my leftover winter tires from last winter are actually only for the driver side (predefined rotation) as I had both my flats on the passenger side... I'll see if that becomes an issue, I only need to get about 1200 miles out of them before they go in the bin.

While doing the tire swap my trusty Halfords apparently has given up on life as well. I got several years of gruesome torture out of it so I cant really complain. Time to buy a new one.

Also took the Cadillac around the estate to keep things moving as its really been standing mostly since it passed its MOT. I won't drive it with salt on the roads but feel like it would be an absolute monster in the snow. FWD and a relatively heavy V8 in the front mean plenty of traction even on the untreated roads around my house.

I'm currently compiling some parts lists for stuff I wanna bring over after the xmas holidays. Although the plan is to sell the A6 sometime in summer/spring I plan to get replacement front wings for it as one is black and the other one rotten. Gotta keep myself busy after all.😂

[Jerzy Woking]

Really pleased to see you have got the Lexus looking so good. It was in a bit of a state when I bought it, in that it was dirty inside and out, but it seemed perfect mechanically, and except the TPMS light, was fault free.

I spent a while cleaning it, but not to the depth you have, and it looked so much better then. The coffee holder lid bugged me, as I knew something was stuck in there, but couldn't see it. 

It was the shortest time I have ever owned a car, but one I miss the most!

[hairnet]

mmmm caddy

[Spottedlaurel]

Good to see things progressing on several fronts, and I'm amused by how similar the interior of my 2014 RX looks compared to your GS.

[Schaefft]

On 12/13/2022 at 12:22 AM, Jerzy Woking said:

Really pleased to see you have got the Lexus looking so good. It was in a bit of a state when I bought it, in that it was dirty inside and out, but it seemed perfect mechanically, and except the TPMS light, was fault free.

I spent a while cleaning it, but not to the depth you have, and it looked so much better then. The coffee holder lid bugged me, as I knew something was stuck in there, but couldn't see it. 

It was the shortest time I have ever owned a car, but one I miss the most!

Thanks for posting it on here in the first place! It really is a good car, I've just ordered the front brakes, bonnet struts and a few filters for it, hopefully with those sorted the tpms light is the last thing this car needs for a long time.

On 12/13/2022 at 10:37 PM, Spottedlaurel said:

Good to see things progressing on several fronts, and I'm amused by how similar the interior of my 2014 RX looks compared to your GS.

Yeah, for a 17 year old car the interior is holding up really well visually. I think this is quite a step ahead of what BMW had in the E60 or Audi in the C6 A6: Much higher quality while also looking more modern and upscale. Its really only the satnav that dates it.

Anyway, Im now back in Germany. The A6 has done over 1500km over the last week (incl. a trip to Glasgow before) and hasn't skipped a beat. I've picked up a shift rod linkage for the Caprice taxi from a local US car breaker yard (which I was completely unaware of), its actually from a Chevy Van so it hopefully fits with a little modifying. For the horrendous money I paid for it it better does...

I'm also currently ordering everything needed to completely rebuild the front suspension and brakes on the W140 S-Class. Considering the age of everything I might as well while in there...